The European Parliament, with support of the S&D Group, took an important decision today on the import of cultural goods into Europe, a market that counts for about 19 billion euros. A new stable legal framework will ensure coherence with European values in the field of archaeology, prehistory, literature, art or science. The regulation will provide a strong answer to the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, which is second only to those in weapons and drugs.

After a positive end to the inter-institutional negotiations with the Council and following today’s overwhelming vote in the plenary of the European Parliament to abolish the Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs) in the food supply chain, the head of the Parliament’s negotiating team and S&D rapporteur, Paolo De Castro, stated:

 

Yesterday evening, negotiators from the European Parliament, Commission and Council made a preliminary agreement on new rules that will ensure that whistleblowers are protected throughout Europe.

The S&D Group voted last night in the economic and monetary affairs committee against a narrow-gauged liberal-conservative proposal on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, while the Greens abstained as well as the EPP rapporteur. This regulation should establish the conditions and the framework to gradually create a unified classification system ('taxonomy') on what can be considered an environmentally sustainable economic activity in Europe.